The present invention relates to an apparatus and system for the orienting of a multiplicity of articles into a single file for further handling and identification.
The process of organizing articles into single file or serial order is called "singulation". Industry is placing great demands on sorting apparatus to perform singulation with a high degree of efficiency in short time period in the minimum of space. Bar coders and the like require the articles to be arranged serially in close proximity to the identifying devices. Prior art attempts to meet the demand for accuracy and efficiency have often been frustrated by a "stacking" problem. Stacking is defined as the abutting of articles as opposed to being lined serially. In airport rotary conveyors stacking is manifested in luggage being positioned in an abutting relationship away from the side rail making it difficult for the passenger to retrieve the "outboard" piece of luggage. It is clearly desirable in a luggage retrieving system that the luggage be arranged serially or otherwise singulated. By analogy it is desirable for articles in high number article handling systems as with packages being arranged in a warehouse or an express mail handling room to be singulated to a high degree of accuracy without stacking in order to facilitate further processing.